Pendulums have been used in magic and divination practically forever. They’re a very simple method for helping a person to try to gain information.

Have you ever been to a baby shower where someone put the mother’s wedding ring on a string and suspended it over her belly? It is said that you can tell if it’s going to be a girl or boy based on the way the ring swings. This common baby shower ‘game’ is actually pendulum divination.

That’s all a pendulum is—a small weight, suspended by some kind of string-like item. You concentrate on questions and read the direction the pendulum swings to gain answers.

Pendulums are one of the easier divination tools for a new Witch to learn how to use, and they can be very handy in a number of ways.

How Does a Pendulum Work?

Some people are afraid of magical tools. They fear the tool has powers, or that it’s possessed by some entity. If these are your concerns, you can rest easy—this is not the case.

The pendulum doesn’t know things that you don’t know. It doesn’t have a brain or a spirit inside of it. The information is actually coming from you. That’s right—you are the receiver, so to speak. The information you gain from the pendulum is information that you’re picking up psychically on a subconscious level.

The unconscious mind is much more receptive to receiving psychic messages and tapping into universal knowledge (sometimes called the collective unconscious or Akashic records). But usually those messages get jumbled up as they come through all the filters of the conscious mind. These ‘filters’ cause us to ignore details, to doubt, to have prejudices and wishful thinking, so the messages can have a hard time coming through clearly. By using a divination tool like a pendulum, you’re bypassing that conscious mind and filtering the information through the subconscious mind. The subconscious is much less discriminating than the conscious mind. It doesn’t try to analyze the information coming through or fit it into any pre-conceived notions—it just lets the impressions come through as they come to you.

Like most tools, a pendulum only has the power that the user gives it. By pouring your own energy into the pendulum, you create a psychic connection with the tool, so it becomes like a means for your subconscious to deliver the messages your unconscious picks up.

Think of it like a radio. Radio waves are always in the air, your conscious mind simply can’t perceive them. The knowledge of everything in the universe is broadcast, transmitted in the form of energy. Your unconscious mind is the receiver, it picks up the energy signals. Your subconscious mind is the transducer, it converts the signals into messages. The pendulum is just an extension of your subconscious, part of the ‘speaker’ through which the message comes to you.

How to Basically Use a Pendulum

The basic way to make a pendulum work is to pinch the top of the string between your thumb and forefinger. Use your dominant (projective) hand— basically, the hand you write with. Allow the weight to hang freely. Sometimes if you're trying to 'read' something, such as energy, you may have more success if you switch the pendulum to your 'receptive' hand (non-dominant hand).

Stabilize your elbow by resting it on a table. Give the pendulum a little tap to set it in motion. Make sure when it’s swinging there is nothing in its way and no friction from the pivot point (the point just beyond your fingers, where the movement begins).

At that point you would focus on your questions, and the direction the pendulum swings would give you answers. Usually the answers would be a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. You could also put a map or a chart on the table beneath the pentacle to get more specific answers.

It's also a good idea for an extended reading to use a recorder so you will remember all the information that was given. Just describe what the pendulum is doing or the answers you are getting from it.

Programming your Pendulum

So which way means ‘yes’, and which way means ‘no’, when a pendulum is swinging? That entirely depends upon the user. This is why you need to program your pendulum before you begin using it.

Before you program it, it’s a good idea to cleanse and consecrate it first. This will rid it of past associations.Hold the pendulum and set it in motion. Relax and bring your mind into the present moment.Tell your pendulum (or, actually, you’re telling your subconscious mind) to show you ‘yes’.Give the pendulum a minute or so. Pay close attention to the direction it swings. Is it going side to side (horizontal swinging)? Toward you and away from you (vertical swinging)? Is it going in circles (circular swinging) and, if so, is it going clockwise or counter-clockwise? Whatever the movement, this should be the movement your pendulum performs for you whenever the answer is in the affirmative.Ask your pendulum to show you ‘no’. Give it a minute. You’ll notice the direction it swings will change. This should be the ‘negative’ answer.Ask your pendulum a few yes/no questions to which you know the answer to test the programming. I might ask, “Is my name Basil?” and look for a ‘no’ answer. Then I’d ask “Is my name Sage?” and look for a ‘yes’ answer. Then ask, “Is my name Rosemary?” and wait for a ‘no’. Do this with a few different simple questions.The preliminary test should work—but if it fails miserably, don’t despair. Cleanse your pendulum by running it through a cleansing incense smoke or by soaking it in salt water (make sure it’s not made of materials that rust or disintegrate in water), and charge it by leaving it under the full moon for a night, then try again.

After you’ve sufficiently programmed your pendulum, keep it in a safe place, such as a bag or case, or on top of your altar when you’re not wearing or using it. Avoid letting others use or handle it, as their vibrations could disrupt your own connection to the tool. Also, you should start using it regularly—the more you use it, the more you will connect to it and the more your ability to read it will improve.

There are many different ways to use a pendulum, but really the only limit is your own imagination.

Ways You Can Use a Pendulum

Divination: To access basic information about the future, ask yes or no questions to your pendulum: ‘Will I be happier if I break up with John?’; ‘Will that job interviewer be impressed by my blue power suit if I wear it?’; ‘Will my career take off better if I move to New York?’; ‘Is this pasta dish really vegan?’

Dream Interpretation: If you’re trying to figure out the meaning of a dream, use your pendulum. Ask your pendulum things like, “does the person chasing me in the dream represent my spouse? A stranger? Myself?” or “Is this dream trying to tell me I’m insecure? That I’m in danger? That I’m worried over nothing?” Wait for an answers, of course, and keep going until you get a yes.Healing: You can use a live person, or a piece of paper with a human body printed on it. Hold the pendulum over the body or chart and search for illnesses or problem spots so you know which areas need healing.

Chakra Work: Hold the pendulum over a chakra, or over a chart of a body, to ask it if chakras are open or closed, clear or blocked, strong or weak, etc.Sensing Energy: Hold your pendulum over your tools and spell components to see if they are sufficiently cleansed or properly charged for magical workings. Use the pendulum to determine if the circle is properly cast or check your home for pockets of negativity.

Channeling: Use a pendulum to get messages from your spirit guide, guardian angel, deceased loved one or any other non-human beings.